Erectile dysfunction syndrome.

May 22, 2007 — Medications commonly used to treat erection problems in men
may also relieve the bothersome urinary symptoms associated with an enlarged
prostate gland, researchers say.

Studies on the topic were presented this week at the annual meeting of the
American Urological Generic viagra pay with online check
in Anaheim, Calif.

“Before, we looked at these two conditions as two different
diseases,” says Kevin McVary, MD, professor of urology at Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, who moderated a press
briefing.

But in the past three or four years, he says, the thinking among urologists
has changed.

Sexual performance in men seems to decline as their prostate ed tablets

becomes more severe, experts have begun to notice. Doctors also notice
that men with milder prostate problems often have less erectile dysfunction
(ED) than do those with moderate or severely enlarged prostates and urinary
symptoms.

“These two diseases — erectile dysfunction and the lower urinary tract
symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia — are probably
linked,” McVary says.

Conditions Increase With Age

Prostate problems and ED problems both tend to increase with age. About 31%
of men aged 50 to 59 have an enlarged prostate (also known as benign prostatic
hyperplasia or BPH); 44% of those 70 and older have an enlarged prostate,
according to the National Institutes of Health. As the gland enlarges, it
constricts the urine-carrying tube called the urethra, making it difficult to
empty the bladder.

Common symptoms of BPH include weak urine stream, leaking or dribbling,
feeling that the bladder hasn’t emptied completely after voiding, and more
frequent urination.

Medications are prescribed to relieve the symptoms. Some medications work by
relaxing the muscles at the neck of the bladder and prostate; others inhibit a
hormone that contributes to the growth of the gland.

Erectile dysfunction, defined as an inability to get or keep an erection, is
experienced by 20% to 46% of men aged 40 to 69, according to the NIH.
Medications to treat erection problems help increase blood flow to the penis
when a man is sexually stimulated.

Cialis Study

A once-a-day dose of Cialis helped men with erectile dysfunction and
moderate to severe urinary tract symptoms due to an enlarged prostate improve
sexual functioning, says Marc Gittelman, MD, a urologist in Aventura, Fla., and
a study researcher.

Of the 281 men who enrolled in the study, “81% were sexually active, and
they were in their low 60s,” he says. All had moderate to severely enlarged
prostates and urinary problems; 68% of the sexually active men had a medical
history of erectile dysfunction. Gittelman’s team assigned about half to take
placebo and half to take Cialis.

At the end of 12 weeks, men who took Cialis — first 5 milligrams a day and
then up to 20 milligrams — had significantly higher scores on a standard index
of erectile function, he says.

He especially wanted to see if they were as likely to do well if their
urinary problems were severe as opposed to moderate. “They are equally
cure dysfunction erectile natural likely to respond to a dose of Cialis,” he says.

The study was funded by Lilly, which is the maker of Cialis.

In another study, 223 men aged 45 to 64 who had urinary symptoms due to an
enlarged prostate were assigned either to a group given 10 milligrams of
Levitra twice daily for eight weeks or a placebo for the same time period.

Compared with placebo, treatment with the ED drug significantly improved the
men’s quality-of- life scores and their reports of urinary obstruction and
irritation, says Boris Schlenker, MD, a urologist at
Ludwig-Maxmillians-Universitaet Hospital in Munich, Germany, who presented the
data. Erectile function improved in those who took the ED drug.

“Levitra is a promising new drug for men with lower urinary tract
symptoms, but we need long-term data on how it might affect the progression of
the disease,” he says.

The Viagra Study

In a third study, McVary assigned 369 men aged 45 and up who had both
erectile dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms to take either 50
milligrams of Viagra every night, 50 milligrams of Viagra an hour before
planned sexual activity, or to take a placebo. The dose increased to 100
milligrams after two weeks.

When he evaluated their erectile function and urinary symptoms, he found 73%
of the men with severe symptoms improved to having mild or moderate symptoms at
the end of the study.

“The changes in prostate symptom scores were dramatic,” he says.
“They compete with alpha blockers.” Alpha blockers are one type of drug
commonly prescribed to treat urinary symptoms associated with an enlarged
prostate. The more severe the urinary symptoms, the greater the
relief, he says.

The study was funded by Pfizer, which is the maker of Viagra.

“This really is cutting-edge,” says Gittelman.

The experts aren’t sure if the ED drugs will eventually supplement or
replace drugs used for urinary problems associated with an enlarged prostate,
or if new formulations might be developed to deal with both conditions.

Some men on the ED drugs did report side effects, says Schlenker, with the
most common in his study being headache.

It’s not known exactly why the ED drugs also help the urinary symptoms,
McVary says. By increasing blood flow to the pelvic area, the ED drugs may help
relax the bladder enough to relieve the urinary problems.

Seek care immediately if you have taken
erectile dysfunction
5 inhibitors (such as Viagra,
Levitra, or Cialis) in the past 24 hours and are having chest pain. Tell your
health professional you are taking this medication. Do
not use any form of nitroglycerin if you have chest pain and have taken
Viagra, Levitra, or Cialis in the past 24 hours.

Call a health professional if erection problems occur with:

• Any type of injury to the back, legs, buttocks,
  groin, penis, or testicles.
• A loss of pubic or armpit hair and an
  card master sales viagra
  of the breasts.

Make an appointment to see a health professional within 1 to 2
weeks if an erection problem occurs more than 25% of the time and the
problem:

• Occurs with a persistent
  backache.
• Occurs after you start taking a new medication or change
  the dose of a medication.
• Is affecting your self-image or sense of
  well-being.
• Has not improved despite self-care.

If your erection problem is occasional, there is no reason to call
your health professional. If it occurs frequently but does not bother you or
your partner, you may or may not choose to call your doctor. However, an
erection problem that develops suddenly may be a sign of a disease; it is
recommended that you see your doctor.

Watchful Waiting

Watchful waiting is a period of time during which you and your
health professional observe your symptoms or condition without using medical
treatment. A single episode of an erection problem is often a temporary and
easily reversible problem. Do not assume it will happen again. If possible,
forget about it and expect a more successful experience the next time. If you
or your partner is concerned about it, talk about the problem and openly
discuss your fears and anxieties.

If self-care has not helped after 2 weeks and you are concerned
about your inability to have an erection, see a health professional who has
experience in dealing with erection problems.

Who To See

Some health professionals, including doctors and mental health
professionals, may not feel erectile pill discussing sexuality and erection
problems. Ask your health professional if he or she feels comfortable with and
has experience in working with men who have erection problems.

The following health professionals can evaluate symptoms of
erection problems:

• Family medicine
  doctor
• Internist
• Nurse
  practitioner
• Physician assistant
• Urologist

If it is possible that a psychological problem is viagra vs levitra
to
your erection problem, your doctor may refer you to a health professional such
as a:

• Psychiatrist.
• Psychologist.
• Certified licensed social
  worker.
• Counselor with special training in sexuality or
  relationship problems.

To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment

Feb. 23, 2006 — Researchers in the U.K. have a new theory to explain the cause of Crohn’s disease, and they say medications like the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra may prove useful for treating the bowel disorder if they are right.

In Crohn’s disease, chronic inflammation causes ulcers within the digestive tract that can lead to severe gastrointestinal symptoms, including abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, and rectal bleeding.

The most widely accepted theory is that an overactive immune system causes the damaging inflammation. But researchers from the University College London say the opposite appears to be true.

They believe a erectile dysfunction help
immune response triggers the bowel inflammation that leads to Crohn’s disease. Their research appears in the Feb. 25 issue of The Lancet.

1 Disease, 2 Theories

The prevailing theory of Crohn’s disease is that the body’s immune system reacts abnormally in people with the disorder, producing chronic inflammation that leads to bowel injury.

Tony Segal, professor of medicine at University College London, explains the weak immune system theory like this: “The wall of the bowel is normally an effective barrier against the bowel contents, but sometimes the barrier is broken by an infection or injury and the bowel contents, which include large numbers of bacteria, penetrate into the bowel wall.

“Normally, an acute inflammatory response would kick in to remove the bacteria and return the condition of the bowel to normal. But in Crohn’s disease, we think that the acute inflammation fails to kick-start, leaving bacteria to fester in the bowel wall which, in turn, triggers chronic, secondary ed medicine
.”

Segal and colleagues conducted a series of small experiments that measured white blood cell production in response to intestinal and skin trauma in both Crohn’s patients and healthy patients. With inflammation, white blood cell numbers are expected to rise. In one experiment, researchers injected a killed gut bacteria into the forearms of patients and healthy participants to study blood flow and immune response.

They found that the Crohn’s patients produced unexpectedly lower levels of white blood cells and proteins involved in inflammation, compared with people without the disorder.

Segal tells WebMD that people who carry a gene that has been linked to Crohn’s disease may be especially vulnerable to getting the disease if they have weak immune systems.

He added that drugs like Viagra, which open the blood vessels and increase blood flow, may help.

The Viagra Response

The researchers tested this theory by treating 10 Crohn’s patients with 50 milligrams of Viagra after injecting them with the killed gut bacteria. They found that blood flow to the infected area improved.

“Increasing blood flow is an important part of the inflammatory response, and that is why this drug may work,” Segal says. “But we don’t yet know if this will give rise to successful treatment. We need to study this further to find out.”

Segal and colleagues are among a growing number of researchers suggesting that a weak immune system, rather than an overactive one, is largely ed meds
for Crohn’s disease, says University of Chicago associate professor of medicine Sunanda Kane, MD.

She adds that the new research adds credibility to the theory but does not prove it.

“This is a little more evidence that maybe we have been barking up the wrong tree,” she tells WebMD. “The idea that we should be over the counter erectile dysfunction drug the immune system — rather than suppressing it — sounded a little crazy at first, but the evidence continues to come in. But we still have a long way to go to really understand what causes Crohn’s.”

Biologic agents that stimulate a specific part of the immune system are now being tested in Crohn’s patients. If such treatments prove effective, Kane says doctors would have an effective alternative to steroids, which work well for many patients but have many side effects.

“For decades now suppressing the immune system with steroids has worked, and we will continue to do so until we find erectile pill
that work for everybody and are risk-free,” she says.